Wire shuttle for use in welding applications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11260466-B2
Application number	US-201615218959-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 25, 2016
Priority date	Jul 25, 2016
Publication date	Mar 1, 2022
Grant date	Mar 1, 2022

Abstract

Apparatuses, systems, and/or methods for welding systems that provide independent control of a contact tip of a welding torch are disclosed. The welding system can include, for example, a welding torch that includes, for example, a contact tip and a pivot in which the contact tip is coupled to the pivot and is configured to provide wire that is fed through the welding torch during a welding operation. The contact tip and the pivot are configured to independently move the contact tip of the welding torch around the pivot during the welding operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A torch, comprising:
a contact tip through which a welding wire is provided;
a pivot support member that receives the contact tip, wherein the pivot support member is configured to move the contact tip around a pivot point during a welding operation;
a motor assembly operatively coupled to the pivot support member, wherein the motor assembly is configured to move the pivot support member; and
wherein:
the pivot support member is configured to enable movement of the contact tip, at least in part, separately from and independently of a movement of the torch along a weld axis during the welding operation, wherein the movement of the contact tip is based on a welding pattern that comprises a plurality of different directions relative to the weld axis;
the torch is configured to provide the welding wire at a plurality of different velocities, wherein each of the plurality of different velocities corresponds to one of the plurality of different directions, and wherein the plurality of different velocities results in a particular constant average travel velocity along the weld axis; and
the motor assembly is configured to cause movement of the contact tip based on the plurality of different velocities to achieve providing the welding wire at each of the plurality of different velocities, wherein the causing comprises causing the contact tip to move in a different direction relative to the weld axis for each of the plurality of different velocities.

2. The torch according to claim 1 , wherein the torch is moved in a first direction during the welding operation, and wherein the pivot support member is configured to automatically move the contact tip to form a weave welding pattern.

3. The torch according to claim 1 , wherein the torch is moved in a first direction during the welding operation, and wherein the pivot support member is configured to automatically move the contact tip to form an inline weave welding pattern.

4. The torch according to claim 1 , wherein the torch is moved in a first direction during the welding operation, and wherein the pivot support member is configured to automatically move the contact tip to form a zig zag welding pattern.

5. The torch according to claim 1 , wherein the motor assembly is configured to move the pivot support member according to a plurality of strokes, wherein each stroke ends with a dwell time of between 1 and 10 milliseconds.

6. The torch according to claim 1 , wherein the torch is configured to be manually held by an operator during the welding operation and to move in a first direction during the welding operation by the operator, and wherein the pivot support member is configured to move the contact tip in a second direction and a third direction during the welding operation.

7. The torch according to claim 1 , wherein the torch is configured to be manually held by an operator during the welding operation and to move in a first direction during the welding operation by the operator, and wherein the pivot support member is configured to move the contact tip in the first direction and a second direction during the welding operation.

8. The torch according to claim 1 , wherein the torch is part of a robot welding system, wherein the torch is configured to move in a first direction during the welding operation by a robot arm of the robot welding system, and wherein the pivot support member is configured to move the contact tip in a second direction and a third direction during the welding operation.

9. The torch according to claim 1 , wherein the torch is part of a robot welding system, wherein the torch is configured to move in a first direction during the welding operation by a robot arm of the robot welding system, and wherein the pivot support member is configured to move the contact tip in the first direction and a second direction during the welding operation.

10. The torch according to claim 1 , wherein the motor assembly includes a motor and one or more of the following: a gear, a cam, a scotch, and a yoke.

11. The torch according to claim 1 , wherein the welding operation is an open arc operation using a consumable electrode.

12. The torch according to claim 11 , wherein the welding operation is a gas metal arc welding (GMAW) operation or a flux-cored arc welding (FCAW) operation.

13. The torch according to claim 1 , wherein the torch is configured to support using a consumable electrode during submerged arc based welding operation.

14. The torch according to claim 1 , wherein the torch is a cladding torch configured to use a melt pool from a heat source during the welding operation.

15. The torch according to claim 14 , wherein the torch is configured to add an unheated wire or a pre-heated wire to the melt pool during the welding operation.

16. The torch according to claim 14 , wherein the heat source includes a laser, a plasma, or a tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding configuration.

17. The torch according to claim 1 , wherein the motor assembly is configured to provide the welding wire at each of the plurality of different velocities during the welding operation.

Assignees

• Illinois Tool Works

Inventors

• Hsu Christopher

Classifications

• B23K9/167 Primary

  and of a non-consumable electrode · CPC title

• B23K9/296

  using non-consumable electrodes · CPC title

• B23K9/0216

  Seam profiling, e.g. weaving, multilayer · CPC title

• B23K9/1278 Primary

  Using mechanical means · CPC title

• B23K26/34

  Laser welding for purposes other than joining · CPC title